MOSCOW: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has claimed that more than 200,000 people have joined the Russian Army since President Vladimir Putin announced a mobilisation drive on September 21.
The RIA Novosti news agency quoted Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu as saying that Russia is aiming to recruit an additional 300,000 military personnel as part of the initiative.
His remarks came within minutes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree ruling out direct peace talks with his Russian counterpart, and upper house of Russia’s parliament unanimously voted in favour of annexing four regions of Ukraine.
Regional and international media reports suggest that the Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to formally complete the process of “incorporating” Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia into Russia, despite international opposition to his plan.
Earlier, outlining mobilisation plan, the Russian Defense Minister was quoted as saying that only people with relevant combat and service experience would join the military operation in Ukraine. He said around 25 million people fit this criteria, but only 1% of them would be mobilized, adding that this would be a ‘one-time’ boost of personnel for the Russian Military.
